How acidic is Coke? Its pH is reported to be 2.6 to 2.7, mainly due to H3PO4, phosphoric acid. As a fizzy drink, it contains plenty of dissolved carbon dioxide, but this makes very little contribution to the acidity.
Phosphoric Acid – The tartness of Coca-Cola comes from the use of phosphoric acid.
Popular sodas such as Diet Coke, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have pH levels ranging between 2.4 to 2.5—almost as acidic as stomach acid which ranges between pH 1.5 to 3.5.
Phosphoric acid is added to cola drinks to impart tartness, reduce growth of bacteria and fungi, and improve shelf-life. Citric acid, a substance naturally occurring in citrus drinks and added to many others, imparts a tangy flavor and functions as a preservative.
What makes soda acidic? Soda gets its fizz from dissolving carbon dioxide in cold water under pressure to create carbonic acid. Two other acids in soda are phosphoric acid and citric acid, which are added as preservatives and flavor enhancers.
Carbonated beverages
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) also recommends that people avoid carbonated drinks to reduce acid reflux and GERD.
That's why other common drinks such as beer, soda, fruit juice and wine are naturally acidic (and are all more acidic than coffee, in fact).
The pH levels of the nine test samples recorded were as follows: orange juice (5.1), pineapple juice (4.4), lemon juice (4.2), Coca-Cola (3.5), Mountain Dew (4.1), Red Bull (4.4), vinegar (3.5), apple cider (3.7), and tomato ketchup (4.6).
With a pH level of 2.52, Coca-Cola is only slightly less acidic than lemonade.
Remove blood stains: While the rumor that police use soda to get blood stains off highways is a myth, Coca-Cola is really effective at busting through blood stains — the show "MythBusters" even confirmed that this was possible.
Root Beer surprisingly has the least acidity of all other soft drink options. This is likely due to the fact that it doesn't contain citric or phosphoric acids and is often non-carbonated.
Root beer is less acidic than coke because it has no phosphoric acid, a strong acid. Root beers are also usually noncarbonated, which lessens the acid content due to the absence of carbonic acid.
Milk is considered to be slightly acidic to near neutral on the pH scale. The pH of milk typically ranges from 6.4 to 6.8, with 7.0 being neutral. The natural acidity in milk is due to the presence of lactic acid, which is produced by the fermentation of lactose (milk sugar) by lactic acid bacteria.
Basically, by adding in Ca(OH)2 to your cola, you react the "acid" bit to make water, and you react the "phosphoric" and "citric" bit to make a white solid precipitate in the bottom of your glass.
Bananas. This low-acid fruit can help neutralize stomach acid by coating an irritated esophageal lining. And not only are bananas alkaline, they're also rich in pectin — a soluble fiber that helps keeps food flowing nicely through the digestive tract.
In fact, regular and diet sodas are almost as corrosive to tooth enamel as battery acid. According to studies, RC Cola, Cherry Coke and Coke are the most acidic soft drinks.
Popular alkaline drinks include water, dairy, some juices, some teas, and almond milk.
Green Tea, for example, is known to be less acidic than Black Tea, with a pH of 7-10. Herbal Teas like Chamomile Tea, Mint Tea and Fennel Teas are very close to neutral, ranging between 6-7 on the pH scale, while Fruit Teas like Blackberry and Rosehip are very acidic, ranging between 2-3 on the pH scale.
Coffee is the clear winner, particularly if you don't add sugar! Cola has 43 times more calories than the same volume of long black. A can of cola contains about ten teaspoons of sugar and virtually no nutrients.
The pH value of milk and milk products is one important parameter when checking the quality of your milk. E.g., the pH value of fresh milk should lie between 6.6 - 6.8. A higher pH value indicates a mastitis infection in the cow and a pH of below 6.5 indicates towards acidification of the sample.